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On the final weekend of the traditional summer camping season, though, park visitors from a wide area Saturday were intent on packing as much fun as possible into Labor Day weekend.

Sandra, Bryan and Fiona Maurer, of Worthington, Minn., set out on a hike on the King and Queen Trail minutes after pulling into the park.

Four members of the far-flung, 23-member Jorgensen clan, from Omaha and Guide Rock, Neb., Winner and Seneca, were slinging the bean bags in a marathon cornhole match.

Multi-tasking Brennan Takagi and Rob Weiss, of Omaha, snugged down the rainfly on a tent while consuming massive sandwiches, and in the heavy, damp air, campfire smoke hung low over Gary, Nita, Devyn and Caleb Erickson and Kristen Wright, of Norfolk, Neb., who were all sprawled out comfortably in camp chairs.

Nobody had been rained on yet, and in the absence of having to battle the elements, they all remarked on the surpising array of amenities packed into the 157-acre park and on the benefits of getting outdoors with family and friends one last time before real life takes over again in September.

The Maurers have lived in Worthington about a year after moving from Philadelphia, Penn. and they were on one of their first family outings, with six-month-old Fiona riding in a carrier on her father's back. There had been an earlier trip to the East Coast this summer, Bryan said, however, "I think she's liking this better. We put her in the ocean, and that was like putting her in the bath at home."

At Palisades, "we started out, and she had this huge grin on her face," Sandra reported.

Jorgensens and associates ranged in age from 94 to less than a year. They generally try to get together once a summer, said Paul Jorgensen, of Winner. This was the first time they convened at Palisades, and it was working out. The park was centrally located for family members from Minneapolis, Nebraska and South Dakota, and there were activities for everybody.

"This is sure practical," said Doran Hamburger, of Seneca. "It's hard to find a house for 23. Nobody wants to host 23 people, and nobody wants to stay in a motel."

The family was homesteading seven campsites, and their caravan of recreational vehicles suggested none of them would be roughing it.

"The more camping you do, the more you invest in camping equipment," Hamburger said.

During the day, everybody heads out hiking, kayaking, throwing bean bags or practicing archery. But they reunite for an evening meal, according to Jorgensen.

"We've got ribs coming tonight," he said cheerfully.

Nita Erickson was the catalyst for getting her husband, Gary, daughter and son, Devyn and Caleb, and his friend Wright to Palisades.

"I'm a big camper," she said.

"The rest of us are big campers by default," he added. "She makes me go, and I like being here."

They had explored Palisades earlier this summer on a day trip as part of a weekend built around Sioux Falls' JazzFest, Nita said, and they were looking forward to seeing what all the park had to offer over the course of a weekend. Kayaking, fishing and hiking were all tentatively scheduled, and Palisades' surprising terrain delighted them.

"It feels like being in the mountains," Gary said.

"You drive in, and it looks like a pasture," she added. "But what a surprise. It's breathtaking."

Takagi and Weiss had a campsite of tents under trees, which necessitated a fallback position of packing up and heading into Sioux Falls to find a motel if severe weather descended. "We're praying for good weather," Weiss said.

But the weekend in South Dakota was a welcome respite from the rigors of dental school at Creighton University, according to Takagi. Indeed, it was practically necessary.

"We've been trying to do this for a long time," said Weiss. "Finally we were like 'we need to just go.'"

This seemed to be the motto for most everybody intent on getting a final Labor Day weekend summer outing at Palisades.